Alexandria Police Foundation Presents Memorial Table to Chief Cook

ALEXANDRIA, VA -- In a surprise ceremony Tuesday, members of the Alexandria Police Foundation presented Alexandria Police Chief Earl Cook with a table made from a sample piece of the glass from the Alexandria Police Fallen Officers Memorial.

“I think honoring fallen officers is a living responsibility for all that are still here,” Cook said, in a news release from the Foundation. Here's more about the presentation from the Foundation's news release:

Foundation Chairman Willem Polak, Foundation Board members Charlotte Hall and Ann Dorman, Foundation Executive Director Virginia Hill-Obranovich and others gave the hand-crafted table to the Department on the one-year anniversary of the dedication of the Fallen Officers Memorial.

Cook said the table, placed in the police administrative offices, adds continuity by linking the extensive Memorial grounds at 3600 Wheeler Avenue with the working interior of police headquarters.

“Almost at every level there is some reminder of our lost officers," Cook said. "Anybody visiting the building will recognize the importance that we place on honoring our fallen. And it is good for our department as it gets ever younger to be reminded of our history."

Since the early 1800s, 18 of Alexandria’s Police officers have lost their lives in service to the City of Alexandria. The 3-inch-thick, 100-plus pound glass segment was created by Savoy Glass of Portland, Ore., based on plans from HDR Architects and Whiting Turner Construction, the companies who donated their services to plan and build the Alexandria Police Fallen Officers Memorial.

The Memorial was opened March 28, 2015, and built by private donations organized through the efforts of the Alexandria Police Foundation, a nonprofit formed in 2002 to assist police with funding needs outside the regular city budget, like care of retired police dogs.

The segment rests on a black walnut table, hand-crafted by retired APD crime scene investigator Garry Ground, now a police volunteer. The glass segment and table were assembled in secret and presented to Cook after his regular 9 a.m. staff briefing.

“How beautiful. This is very, very nice,” Cook said. The Alexandria Police Foundation is a nonprofit charitable organization of Alexandria business owners, community leaders and private citizens that was initially founded to provide health insurance for retired police dogs. The Foundation’s mission evolved and now provides the Alexandria Police Department with a variety of resources to enhance officer performance, morale and effectiveness in their efforts to safeguard the community.